Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Water Recycling System
Cross Reference to Related Applications
This application is a divisional of co-pending Canadian Patent Application No.
3,133,446, filed on March 19, 2020 and which is a national phase application
of
International Application No. PCT/US2020/023511, filed on March 19, 2020, and
which
claims priority to United States Provisional Application No. 62/821,530 filed
on March
21, 2019.
Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is related to a water recycling system. In particular,
the
present disclosure is related to a monitored water recycling system and a
method of
determining and providing real time water savings and/or water usage
information.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a water recycling system according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a monitoring system to be used with
the
water recycling system shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a control unit to be used with the
water
recycling system shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a display according to an embodiment of the
present
disclosure.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a display according to an embodiment of the
present
disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustration of a method of monitoring water savings
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustration of a method of monitoring a water
recycling
system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Detailed Description
As shown in FIG. 1, the water recycling system 1 includes a tank 10 that
stores a
washing solution to be used for a washing operation. The washing solution
includes fresh
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
water supplied by incoming water line 11. Optional additives, such as
antimicrobial
agents, may be supplied by additional lines, such as chemical injection line
13. An
example of an antimicrobial agent useful in the present disclosure is
peroxyacetic acid
(PAA).
The washing solution is transported from the tank 10 by at least one pump 40.
Additional pumps 40 may be provided depending on the particular operating
requirements. For example, 1 to 10 pumps 40 may be provided. The pumps 40
transport
the washing solution from the tank 10 to an operation 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n.
The pumps
40 are not particularly limited and may be, for example, an air diaphragm
pump, an
electric pump, or the like.
The operations 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n are not particularly limited and may be
any
operation wherein filtering and recycling is required or desired. Although
operations 20a,
20b, 20c... 20n are shown, the system 1 may include a single operation, 2
operations, 3
operations, or 4 or more operations. For instance, the operations 20a, 20b,
20c... 20n
may include a washing station, for example, one or more inside outside bird
washers
(IOBW). In some embodiments, the operations 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n may include a
chiller
system or a dip tank. The flow rate and pressure employed in the operations
20a, 20b,
20c... 20n is not particularly limited and may be specified based on
particular operating
requirements.
After the washing solution has been utilized in the operations 20a, 20b,
20c...
20n, the spent washing solution flows through drains 70a, 70b, 70c... 70n to
at least one
filtering assembly 30 to recover a recycled solution. To facilitate flow from
the drains
70a, 70b, 70c... 70n to the filtering assembly 30, a pump 42 may be employed.
The
pump 42 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, an air diaphragm
pump, an
electric pump, or the like. In one or more embodiments, a plurality of pumps
42 may be
employed. For example, a separate pump 42 may be associated with each of 20a,
20b,
20c... 20n. The recycled solution may be directed back into tank 10 (i.e., re-
used as
washing solution) or may be diverted to a secondary storage container (not
shown) for
alternative uses.
The filtering assembly 30 may include, for example, a rotary screen. In such
cases, a spray bar line 12 may supply additional solution to the rotary screen
(filtering
assembly 30) in order to wash the rotary screen. The additional solution may
include, for
example, fresh water, a solution (e.g., an antimicrobial solution), or the
recycled solution
recovered from the filtering assembly 30. The rate of flow through the spray
bar line 12
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, from 0 gallon per minute
(gpm) to 60
gpm, from 60 gpm to 100 gpm, from 100 to 160 gpm, from 1 gpm to 200 gpm, from
5
gpm to 100 gpm, or from 10 gpm to 50 gpm.
One or more secondary filtering assemblies 31 may be employed as needed
throughout the system 1. The secondary filtering assembly 31 may, for example,
include
an inline filter, such as a bag filter, between the tank 10 and the operations
20a, 20b,
20c... 20n. Depending on operating requirements, the filtering assemblies 30,
31 may be
configured to filter out particles greater than 1 mm, greater than 900 gm,
greater than 800
gm, greater than 700 gm, greater than 600 gm, greater than 500 gm, greater
than 400 gm,
greater than 300 gm, greater than 200 gm, or greater than 100 gm. For
instance, the
filtering assembly 30 or 31 may include a mesh having pores of any of the
foregoing
sizes. If the washing solution includes large particles, spray nozzles (not
shown) used
throughout the system 1 (e.g., used to spray the rotary screen or used in the
operation 20)
may become clogged. Additionally, filters that are too fine may require more
frequent
maintenance. As such, the filtering assemblies 30, 31 and nozzle sizes may be
appropriately adjusted to suit the operational needs.
In one or more embodiments, a volume of washing solution in the tank 10 is
maintained at a constant level. This may be achieved by, for example,
adjusting the
amount of fresh water supplied by incoming water line 11. The rate of flow
through the
incoming water line 11 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example,
from 0 gpm
to 1000 gpm, from 10 gpm to 500 gpm, or 60 gpm to 250 gpm. The flow rate
through
incoming water line 11 may be constant or variable. For instance, if a known
amount of
liquid is lost through the washing operation, the flow rate may be adjusted
appropriately
to offset such loss. In some embodiments, the flow rate may be adjusted to
overflow the
tank 10 thereby refreshing the washing solution. Alternatively, the flow rate
may be
manually or automatically varied based on the observed volume in the tank 10.
Optionally, the tank 10 may include a sensor 80, such as a transducer, in
order to monitor
the volume of washing solution therein. The sensor 80 may also measure other
properties
of the liquid in the tank 10, such as the salinity, acidity, temperature,
viscosity, and the
like. The system 1 may include additional components as needed, for example, a
high
voltage panel 60 and a control panel 50.
The system 1 includes at least one meter to measure a flow rate or volume of
solution within the system 1. In some embodiments, each inlet line includes a
meter to
provide a measurement of total volume or rate of liquid supplied to the system
1
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
("supplied water volume/rate"). Namely, incoming water line 11 includes a
meter 91 and,
optionally, spray bar line 12 and chemical injection line 13 include meters 92
and 93,
respectively. In any embodiment, a plurality of incoming water lines 11, a
plurality of
spray bar lines 12, and/or a plurality of chemical injection lines 13 may be
included in the
system, each including meters 91, meters 92, and/or meters 93, respectively.
Additionally, the system 1 may include at least one meter between the tank 10
and the
operations 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n. For instance, meters 90a, 90b, 90c... 90n may
be
supplied either before or after each operation 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n to obtain
a
measurement of a total liquid volume or rate utilized in the system 1 ("used
water
volume/rate"). In some embodiments, meters 90a, 90b, 90c... 90n are provided
between
the tank 10 and the operations 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n, such as before the
washing operation
in order achieve an accurate measurement of used volume (or usage rate), as
some
volume of liquid is likely to be lost during the washing. In one or more
embodiments, a
single meter 90a may be used with a plurality of operations 20a, 20b, 20c...
20n. For
example, the single meter 90a may measure the rate or volume of a liquid
passing through
a communal line which subsequently splits to supply liquid to the plurality of
operations
20a, 20b, 20c... 20n. In one or more embodiments, the meters 90a, 90b, 90c...
90n may
be provided within the operations 20a, 20b, 20c... 20n. The meters 90a, 90b,
90c... 90n
relay the collected information to a processor, which can then calculate a
water savings
value by subtracting the supplied volume or rate from the used volume or rate,
as
discussed in detail below.
With reference to FIG. 2, in one or more embodiments, each of the meters 90a,
90b, 90c... 90n, 91, 92, and 93, and the sensor 80 may be connected to a
control unit 110
of the control panel 50. The information from these meters and/or sensors may
be used
by the control unit 110 to control flow rates or pressures within the system,
open or close
valves, or calculate water usage and water savings values to be displayed on
the display
120. For example, the water savings may be calculated by subtracting the
measured
"supplied water volume" from the measured "used water volume" or by
subtracting the
measured "supplied water rate" from the measured "used water rate." As used
herein, the
terms "supplied water volume", "used water volume", "supplied water rate", and
"used
water rate" may refer to a volume or rate of liquid including fresh water, a
solution (e.g.,
an antimicrobial solution), and/or recycled solution.
In some embodiments, a plurality of instructions, or computer program(s), are
stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the instructions or
computer
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
program(s) being accessible to, and executable by, one or more processors. In
some
embodiments, the one or more processors execute the plurality of instructions
(or
computer program(s)) to operate in whole or in part the above-described
embodiments.
In some embodiments, the one or more processors are part of the control unit
110, one or
more other computing devices, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments,
the
non-transitory computer readable medium is part of the control unit 110, one
or more
other computing devices, or any combination thereof.
In an embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 3, a control unit 110 for
implementing
one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is depicted. The control
unit 110
.. includes a microprocessor 110a, an input device 110b, a storage device
110c, a video
controller 110d, a system memory 110e, and a communication device 110g all
interconnected by one or more buses 110h. In some embodiments, the storage
device
110c may include a floppy drive, hard drive, CD-ROM, optical drive, any other
form of
storage device and/or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the
storage device
110c may include, and/or be capable of receiving, a floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD-
ROM,
or any other form of computer-readable medium that may contain executable
instructions.
In some embodiments, the communication device 110g may include a modem,
network
card, or any other device to enable the computing device to communicate with
other
computing devices. In some embodiments, any computing device represents a
plurality
of interconnected (whether by intranet or Internet) computer systems,
including without
limitation, personal computers, mainframes, PDAs, smartphones and cell phones.
In some embodiments, one or more of the components of the system 1 include at
least the control unit 110 and/or components thereof, and/or one or more
computing
devices that are substantially similar to the control unit 110 and/or
components thereof.
In some embodiments, one or more of the above-described components of the
control unit
110 include respective pluralities of the same components.
In some embodiments, a computer system typically includes at least hardware
capable of executing machine readable instructions, as well as the software
for executing
acts (typically machine-readable instructions) that produce a desired result.
In some
embodiments, a computer system may include hybrids of hardware and software,
as well
as computer sub-systems.
In some embodiments, hardware generally includes at least processor-capable
platforms, such as client-machines (also known as personal computers or
servers), and
hand-held processing devices (such as smart phones, tablet computers, personal
digital
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
assistants (PDAs), or personal computing devices (PCDs), for example). In some
embodiments, hardware may include any physical device that is capable of
storing
machine-readable instructions, such as memory or other data storage devices.
In some
embodiments, other forms of hardware include hardware sub-systems, including
transfer
devices such as modems, modem cards, ports, and port cards, for example.
In some embodiments, software includes any machine code stored in any memory
medium, such as RAM or ROM, and machine code stored on other devices (such as
floppy disks, flash memory, or a CD ROM, for example). In some embodiments,
software may include source or object code. In some embodiments, software
encompasses any set of instructions capable of being executed on a computing
device
such as, for example, on a client machine or server.
In some embodiments, combinations of software and hardware could also be used
for providing enhanced functionality and performance for certain embodiments
of the
present disclosure. In an embodiment, software functions may be directly
manufactured
into a silicon chip. Accordingly, it should be understood that combinations of
hardware
and software are also included within the definition of a computer system and
are thus
envisioned by the present disclosure as possible equivalent structures and
equivalent
methods.
In some embodiments, computer readable mediums include, for example, passive
data storage, such as a random access memory (RAM) as well as semi-permanent
data
storage such as a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM). One or more
embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in the RAM of a computer
to
transform a standard computer into a new specific computing machine. In some
embodiments, data structures are defined organizations of data that may enable
an
embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, a data structure may
provide an
organization of data, or an organization of executable code.
In some embodiments, any networks and/or one or more portions thereof, may be
designed to work on any specific architecture. In an embodiment, one or more
portions of
any networks may be executed on a single computer, local area networks, client-
server
networks, wide area networks, Internets, hand-held and other portable and
wireless
devices and networks.
In some embodiments, a database may be any standard or proprietary database
software. In some embodiments, the database may have fields, records, data,
and other
database elements that may be associated through database specific software.
In some
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
embodiments, data may be mapped. In some embodiments, mapping is the process
of
associating one data entry with another data entry. In an embodiment, the data
contained
in the location of a character file can be mapped to a field in a second
table. In some
embodiments, the physical location of the database is not limiting, and the
database may
be distributed. In an embodiment, the database may exist remotely from the
server, and
run on a separate platform. In an embodiment, the database may be accessible
across the
Internet. In some embodiments, more than one database may be implemented.
In one or more embodiments, the water savings value may be displayed in real
time, for example, on the display 120 of control panel 50. As shown in FIG. 4,
various
parameters of the system 1 may be displayed, such as the calculated water
savings and
flow rates or volumes measured by one or more of the meters 90a, 90b, 90c...
90n. In
one or more embodiments, multiple systems 1 may be in communication with a
single
control unit, such that the display 120 may show data corresponding to the
multiple
systems, as shown in FIG. 4.
In any embodiment, the control unit 110 may create an alert based on the
measured flow rate or volume data, the sensor data, or any other data
calculated by the
control unit 110. For example, if any of the meters 90a, 90b, 90c... 90n, 91,
92, or 93 or
sensor 80 reports data to the control unit 110 that exceeds or falls below a
predetermined
threshold, the control unit 110 may create an alert. In one or more
embodiments, the alert
may be audible, visual, or both, wherein a visual alert may be displayed on
the display
120.
With reference to FIG. 5, the display 120 may include additional data such as
the
supplied water rate (a combination of the supply rates shown at 320), the used
water rate
310, the water savings rate 330 (calculated by subtracting the supplied water
rate 320
from the used water rate 310), and the total water saved 340 (calculate by
multiplying
water savings rate by time of running the system or by subtracting total water
volume
supplied from the total water volume used). According to the embodiment shown
in FIG.
5, the display provides real time water savings data, including both the rate
of savings and
the total amount saved during a set period of operation.
Referring to FIG. 6, a method 200 of monitoring a water recycling system is
depicted. The method 200 includes a step 210 of collecting water usage data.
Step 210
includes a step 210a of measuring water used in one or more operations and a
step 210b
of measuring water supplied to the system. The water used may be measured by
one or
more of the meters 90a, 90b, 90c... 90n. In one or more embodiments, a single
operation
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
20a is included in the system 1 and step 210a includes measuring water usage
from a
single meter 90a. The water supplied may be measured by one or more of the
meters 91,
92, and 93. In any embodiment, meters 91, 92, and/or 93 may be omitted and/or
a
plurality of meters 91, a plurality of meters 92, and/or a plurality of meters
93 may be
utilized. In step 220, the water savings rate or volume is calculated. This
calculation may
be performed by the control unit 110 as described herein. The calculation may,
for
example, comprise subtracting the measured rate of water supplied from the
measured
rate of water used or subtracting the measured volume of water supplied from
the
measured volume of water used. In step 220, the calculated water savings is
displayed.
In step 220, for example, control unit 110 may transmit the calculated water
savings data
to the display 120. The data shown may include, for example, one or more of a
water
savings rate, a total water savings value, a water usage rate, a water usage
volume, a
water supply rate, a water supply volume, and the like.
In one or more embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, a method 300 may include a
step 310 of collecting tank level data, which may include measuring the level
of water in
the tank 10 via the sensor 80. The method 300 may further include a step 320
of
comparing the data from step 310 with a set value, wherein the set value may
be a desired
tank fill level (e.g., expressed as a percentage total of the volume of the
tank 10). In step
320a, if the tank level is at or above the set value, flow through one or more
of the supply
lines (incoming water line 11, spray bar line 12, and/or chemical injection
line 13) is
decreased or ceased, for example, by closing a supply line valve. In step
320b, if the tank
level is below the set value, flow though one or more of the supply lines is
increased, for
example, by opening a closed supply line valve.
In one or more embodiments, the set value may be greater than 100% such that
the
flow rate through the supply lines causes the tank 10 to constantly overflow,
thereby
refreshing the liquid within the system 1. In one or more embodiments, the
tank 10 may
include an overflow outlet (not shown) equipped with a meter configured to
measure a
flow rate out of the tank 10.
In any embodiment, the method may include triggering an alert, such as the
alert
described in detail above.
Food processing requires a significant amount of water. According to
embodiments of the present disclosure, the system 1 can ensure that a food
processing
plant will be able to reduce the amount of water used for operation of the
plant. By
filtering and treating the washing solution, the system 1 may help a plant
reduce costs
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
without sacrificing food safety. The system 1 can be implemented in multiple
locations
throughout a plant, thereby providing flexibility and potential increased
savings and
product margins. The system 1 can also provide real time water savings such
that reuse
performance can be readily analyzed.
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without
departing
from the scope of the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, the elements and teachings of the various embodiments
may be combined in whole or in part in some or all of the embodiments. In
addition, one
or more of the elements and teachings of the various embodiments may be
omitted, at
least in part, and/or combined, at least in part, with one or more of the
other elements and
teachings of the various embodiments.
In some embodiments, while different steps, processes, and procedures are
described as appearing as distinct acts, one or more of the steps, one or more
of the
processes, and/or one or more of the procedures may also be performed in
different
orders, simultaneously and/or sequentially. In some embodiments, the steps,
processes
and/or procedures may be merged into one or more steps, processes and/or
procedures.
In some embodiments, one or more of the operational steps in each embodiment
may be omitted. Moreover, in some instances, some features of the present
disclosure
may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Moreover,
one or
more of the above-described embodiments and/or variations may be combined in
whole
or in part with any one or more of the other above-described embodiments
and/or
variations.
In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has
been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not
intended to be
limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that
each specific term
includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to
accomplish a
similar technical purpose. Terms such as "left" and right", "front" and
"rear", "above"
and "below" and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference
points
and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
In this specification, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open"
sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its
"closed" sense, that is
in the sense of "consisting only of'. A corresponding meaning is to be
attributed to the
corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
Although some embodiments have been described in detail above, the
embodiments described are illustrative only and are not limiting, and those
skilled in the
art will readily appreciate that many other modifications, changes and/or
substitutions are
possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel
teachings and
advantages of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications,
changes,
and/or substitutions are intended to be included within the scope of this
disclosure as
defined in the following claims. In the claims, any means-plus-function
clauses are
intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited
function and
not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-01-24
